1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus.
In this specification, an image forming apparatus represents an apparatus for forming an image on a recording medium, and examples of the image forming apparatus include an electrophotographic copying machine, an electrophotographic printer (e.g., a laser printer or a light-emitting diode (LED) printer), a facsimile device, and a word processor.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus using an electrophotographic process, such as a printer, uniformly charges an electrophotographic photosensitive member serving as an image bearing member, and forms a latent image on the photosensitive member with a selective exposure thereto. The latent image is then developed with a developer and visualized as a developer image. The developer image is then transferred onto a recording medium. The image forming apparatus applies heat and pressure to the transferred developer image to fix the developer image to the recording medium, thereby performing image recording.
Conventionally, the image forming apparatus of this type has been covered by a housing, and an opening portion for replenishment of a developer or maintenance for various process units is formed on a part of the housing. In addition, some of the image forming apparatuses are configured in such a way that the developer and various process units are stored in a pullout member (cartridge support member), and the developer and the various process units can easily be removed from a main body of the apparatus by pulling out the pullout member. Such a configuration is discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-165027.
The pullout member described above is located inside the main body of the apparatus during normal image formation, and in order to take out the developer or the various process units, a door for opening and closing the apparatus, which is supported to be openable and closable by the main body of the apparatus, is opened and then the pullout member is pulled out to a predetermined position.
The pullout member (cartridge support member) described above is locked to prevent it from being further pulled out after being pulled out to the predetermined position. This prevents the pullout member from falling from the main body of the apparatus.
On the other hand, at the time of assembling the apparatus, the pullout member needs to be attached to the main body of the apparatus. It is necessary that a locking portion is a detachable component or is elastically deformable to allow the pullout member to be attached to or detached from the main body of the apparatus. In view of this, conceivable configurations include the one in which a locking component for locking the pullout member is provided in the main body of the apparatus, and the one in which a component made of an elastic material and having a different function is formed to have an elastically deformable shape for use as a locking portion. More specifically, with these configurations, the locking portion can be removed at the time of attaching the pullout member, or the locking portion is elastically deformed to allow the pullout member to be attached to the main body of the apparatus when attaching the pullout member to the main body of the apparatus.
However, the configuration in which the locking portion is formed to be removable or the configuration in which the locking portion is formed to have elasticity may cause cost increase. Also, limitations may be imposed on the shape, size, or arrangement of the locking portion in order to prevent the reduction in strength of the locking portion.